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Members opposed to zoning issue OK it in end

Two Johnston City Council members who opposed a rezoning plan to allow construction of a new housing development reversed course on Monday to approve the plan, despite at least one neighbor’s concerns.

The council at its regular meeting unanimously approved the 15.7-acre rezoning proposal brought forward by developers with Highland Summit LLC that will clear the way for construction of 41 lots for single-family homes north of Northwest 70th Avenue. The property, in the northwest section of the city, nears Johnston’s border with Grimes.

Council members Tom Cope and David Lindeman, who voted against the rezoning from agricultural reserve to single-family residential in November, both said this week they felt comfortable that the development fit with the city’s 2030 comprehensive plan for the area.

Resident Sherif Tewfik, however, told members of the City Council that the development wouldn’t fit with the area’s current aesthetic.

The section of land, north of Northwest 70th and just east of Northwest 107th Street, was annexed by the city in 2006. Residents have always enjoyed larger, more open properties than the smaller lots proposed by the Highland Summit developers, Tewfik said.

“Historically, the northwest part of Johnston has been recognized as a unique area in Polk County for its rural characteristics,” he said. “This is now becoming systematically dismantled.”

Another concern for current residents is the increased traffic that the development will bring to Northwest 107th Street, Tewfik said. The two-lane street is essentially a “rural road” with deep ditches and no sidewalks; a development would bring more traffic that the street is not ready to handle, he said.

Concerns about the roadway, however, are premature with only a rezoning proposal, Community Development Director David Wilwerding said. Traditionally, discussions about road improvements have come as development and construction begin on a project, not the other way around, he said.

“As need arises, we make improvements to the road, and 107th would be no different,” Wilwer­ding said.

Improvements to Northwest 107th currently are not included in the city’s five-year capital improvements plan, he said. The street acts as Johnston’s border with Grimes, and that community also doesn’t have a road project there in its five-year plan.

Johnston and Grimes officials will work together to find the right timing to coordinate any future improvement projects to the street, Wilwerding said. Some improvements, such as the addition of turning lanes, also could be made as improvements are made to Northwest 70th Street to the south, ahead of the opening of the new Johnston High School in 2016.

In comments at the meeting, Cope said he believes the housing development fits the city’s long-term plan for the area. However, Johnston officials need to work closely with those in Grimes to develop the area, he said.

“I think that’s a significant issue that we need to be looking at and visiting and talking to Grimes about,” he said.

Johnston officials plan to hold a meeting Feb. 6 to discuss the rezoning with area residents.